Learning to Ride: Adults Conquer Biking Fears

In the free classes offered by Bike New York, many adults face nervousness when learning to ride a bicycle. Embarrassment often accompanies their apprehension, with a significant number of participants being women. Lauren Rosenfield, who vividly recalls her own struggles with biking, is there to witness each success.

Stephanie Yeh had a childhood biking experience that left her traumatized. At six years old, she lost control while biking with training wheels near her home in North Carolina. An alarming downhill ride ended with her flying over the handlebars and narrowly avoiding traffic. This incident kept her away from bicycles for over three decades.

Recently, Yeh, now in her late thirties, joined about 15 adults at a Sunday class in McCarren Park, located at the Williamsburg-Greenpoint border in Brooklyn. It was Mother’s Day, and another participant, Rimu Byadya, saw the class as a self-gift. She humorously anticipated the fall, embracing it as part of the learning experience.

Byadya, age 35, shared her frustrating attempts at learning, including unsuccessful lessons from her husband and a colleague. This admission brought laughter to the group, a light-hearted moment in a day brimming with determination.

The instructors start their students with bikes stripped of pedals, a teaching method that aims to instill balance and confidence before progressing to complete cycling. With helmets secured, the attendees faced the challenge head-on, embodying a spirit of resilience and camaraderie.